Cornbread from scratch

There is something about cornbread in America. It has a really long history and traces back in the ancient American Indian days. There is a large variety of cornbreads in US and it is considered a corner stone in the southern US cuisine. From sweet to savoury and some flavored with jalapenos in it.  In Singapore, I think the only time you get to eat cornbread is in Kenny Rogers. And here in US, I really like the southern cornbread from Au Bon Pain. It is sooooo tasty but sadly I couldn't find a single recipe that is near there. I will persevere and continue to research on it! 

Here, I would like to share a simple cornbread recipe with those who are interested in making some cornbread for your family. This is simple and nice to have when you have some friends over at your home for some soup or even great with drizzled honey or maple syrup. 

Recipe (1 loaf) 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Milk
• 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp of Butter, melted
• 1 large Egg
• 1 1/4 cup Yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
• Optional: corn kernels

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius).
2. Grease the bottom and sides of loaf pan with butter.
3. Beat milk, butter and egg in a mixing bowl. 
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients all at once. Ensure flour is mix well but do not overmix and leave the batter slightly lumpy.   
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 20 minutes. 
6. Cool and serve slightly warmed. 

Modified from Betty Crocker: Best of Baking